Capabilities Imprint: A Graph-Theoretic Framework for Transport Infrastructure-Based Capabilities Evaluation

Source abstract

This paper introduces the Capabilities Imprint , a novel conceptual and quantitative Capability Approach (CA) to assess how spatially embedded infrastructure enables individual human capabilities. The framework models dependencies on essential infrastructure and amenities using transport networks and allows for graph-theoretic metrics to quantify individual capabilities through their imprints. The premise of this approach is that, from a CA perspective, each person is at the centre of a network of infrastructure and amenities that has a role in the potential of that person to achieve the life they value, and this is their Capabilities Imprint . This imprint can then be quantified using network theory through metrics such as Connectivity Scores (CS) and Betweenness Centrality (BC), enabling an understanding of the transport infrastructure context for individuals. CS quantify access to key amenities, while BC identifies critical nodes within the imprint, whose disruption would disproportionately affect multiple capabilities. In this work, capabilities are conceptualized as locational, focusing on domain-specific infrastructural and spatial conditions that shape opportunities through transport network connectivity and integrity. A case study in Swords, Ireland, demonstrates the methodological implementation of the Capabilities Imprint framework and its ability to generate actionable insights for planning and policy. Clustering analysis of connectivity profiles reveals distinct community archetypes, highlighting areas facing systemic infrastructure exclusion. Simultaneously, high-betweenness nodes pinpoint network bottlenecks, informing prioritization for planning or further action. The approach also captures overlapping dependencies across capabilities, showing how failures at a few critical junctures can cascade through multiple facets of urban life. The framework relies on open-source data and a two-metric approach combining accessibility and network vulnerability, enabling a spatially disaggregated and network-aware assessment of infrastructure-enabled capabilities. In doing so, the Capabilities Imprint supports equity-oriented spatial analysis and accessibility-informed urban planning, offering policymakers a practical tool for human well-being–centred decision-making and more just prioritization in urban transport planning.